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Man Airplane
Soldering Your Electric RC Airplane
Although I like to spend most of my time flying RC Airplanes there comes a point when I am forced to land and provide maintenance on the plane. For a long time I did everything in my power to avoid having to solder anything on my planes. I was scared of soldering and admittedly quite terrible at it. But like a first kiss, there comes a time in a man's life when he must step up and grab the bull by the horns no matter how terrifying it is.
If you are just starting out in the hobby you may be thinking to yourself "why would I ever need to solder anything on my RC airplane?" I used to have that same attitude but after a few crashes and upgrades it quickly became clear that I was going to need some soldering skills. Soldering can be used on all sorts of electric airplane parts. Servos, motors, ESC's and batteries are the more popular components that often need some soldering.
When it comes to soldering electrical devices in your airplane it is best to remove the device from the fuselage and solder it away from the model. Foam and balsa melt and burn very quickly when coming into contact with a soldering iron. If you are unable to take the component out of the plane then do your best to protect the rest of the plane with a towel or other covering and be very careful. Make sure the model is secure and will not roll around or shift while you're in the middle of soldering. A sudden movement could disrupt the whole operation, causing you to damage the airplane.
Choosing the right iron for the soldering job is simple as long as you think ‘light'. Soldering on RC models is often a delicate ordeal so you want to have the right tool for the job. A large, heavy soldering ‘gun' is awesome, but the wrong tool for the job. Precision is key and you will have a hard time being precise when your muscles are shaking and giving out during the soldering session. Choose a pencil iron that you can easily hold in one hand like a pencil. An iron in the 60-80 watt range is a good start. An 80 watt iron might be a little hot for some jobs but a 40 watt iron is much to ‘cold' for most jobs. I have learned that through much experience so save yourself the frustration and get something in the middle.
The right (or wrong) solder can make all the difference in the world as well. Be sure to use something that has less than 5% silver content, otherwise the solder will take an enormous amount of heat to melt and the time to solidify will be very quick. This makes the job more difficult than it needs to be, especially for those that are just starting out.
The important thing is to take your time and arm yourself with as much patience as you can muster. Soldering is a sometimes difficult and frustrating skill to master, but once mastery is achieved a world of opportunity is opened when it comes to repairing or modifying your electric radio controlled airplane.
To learn more check out: http://www.rcairplanereviews.com
About the Author
Mr. Airplane Man--Jesus On The Mainline